Music Trade Review

Issue: 1920 Vol. 71 N. 10

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
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MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
WINNERS OF SALESMEN'S CONTEST VISIT FRENCH PLANT
NEW CASTLE, IND., August 30.—A group of en-
thusiastic visitors to the factory of the Jesse
French & Sons Piano Co. here last week were
the prize winners in the Salesmen's Contest in-
augurated by the company in January in its va-
rious branch stores in the South. A trip to
plant was inspected, and a special entertainment
was provided for the visitors before they left
again for their home, with the resolve to build
up some new sales records.
The managers and prize winners shown in the
accompanying photograph are: Lower row, left
Jesse French & Sons' Salesmen Who Won Prize Trips to the Factory
the factory with all expenses paid was offered to right—H. \V. Young. Raleigh, X. C ; J. H.
to two salesmen in each branch, one prize going Stratford, manager, Raleigh branch; Jesse
to the man who got the most cash during the French, Jr., L. O. Parsons, manager. Montgom-
first six months of the year, and the second to ery branch, and C. B. Lewis. Top row—K..F.
Essrich, Raleigh, N. C ; Wesley Parsons, Mont-
the man who brought in the greatest business.
The salesmen enjoyed their visit to the fac- gomery; T. B. Parsons, Mobile, Ala.; W. D.
tory immensely, for it afforded them an oppor- Harding, Raleigh; W. L. Barker, Montgomery;
tunity for studying the various details connected J. H. Payne, Wilson, X. C ; H. H. Hudson,
with the manufacturing of the Jesse French & wholesale traveler, and X. F. Wheeler, Clinton,
Sons instruments. Each department of the i\. C.
we are most eager to co-operate with the danc-
ing masters in their earnest effort to dignify
Declares That Music Industry Is Interested in dances and free them from all objectionable
the Production of Better Music and Likewise dance attitudes and criticism. This is certainly
the right time to take up this matter, for the
in Any Movement to Improve Dancing
public has had too much jazz and, according to
Paul B. Klugh, president of the Autopiano the opinion of many in touch with conditions,
Co. and likewise founder and first president of will welcome this reform.
the Music Industries Chamber of Commerce,
"The Music Industries Chamber of Commerce
was among the speakers at the convention of is intent on reforms other than dance music,"
the National Association of Masters of Dancing he continued. "We are also down on suggestive
at the Hotel Astor, New York, last week, where, lyrics. The stage and motion pictures have
as the representative of the music industry, he censors, but there is no censorship for words in
declared that music publishers were eager to music. I do not know why. Any Mow brow'
produce music that merited the efforts of the can put out lyrics and there is never a protest.
dancing masters and asserted that the members They should have a rigid censorship."
of the Chamber of Commerce were stimulated
Mr. Klugh's comments were in line with the
by the efforts of the dancing masters to en- recommendations made by Fenton T. Bott,
courage better music and dancing.
president of the Dancing Masters' Association,
"The public trend, now, is undoubtedly toward who in his opening address said:
more natural music," said Mr. Klugh. "One of
''We publicly appeal to composers and pub-
our largest dealers in records told me recently lishers of music, the music roll and phonograph
that during the last few months 'The Blue record makers, to improve the rhythm of modern
Danube' has been his best seller. He says that music. Dancing will thereby be bettered. We
people have come to realize that the transitory believe that it is best for all concerned, both
stuff is much more expensive and they tire of it from a moral and financial standpoint, that
very readily.
music, both melody and words, be raised to a
''Better music makes for better dancing, and higher standard."
KLUGH TALKS TO DANCING MASTERS
SEPTEMBER 4, 1920
GREAT INTEREST IN STATt FAIR
Twin City Piano Men Expect Good Business
From Visitors to Minneapolis Fair Next Week
—Local Stores Being Remodeled
ST. PAUL and MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., August 30.—
Senator Warren Harding, of Marion, O., and
Governor James M. Cox, also of Ohio, will come
to the Minnesota State Fair next week. Their
respective visits to the big show will have no
relation to the music industries except that
they probably will attract big crowds to the
fair grounds and the music merchants, as well
as other merchants, always like to see a large
number of visitors from the rural districts come
to town, for a percentage of them are interested
in buying musical instruments.
It looks as though the Minnesota fair will
break its already line record for attendance, as
all conditions are propitious. Retail trade of
the Twin Cities should receive a great stimulant
from the State exposition.
August did not prove a particularly active
month for the piano men. Sales were fairly
good and in the main, taking everything into
consideration, the dealers are satisfied with
their returns for the month. They had not ex-
pected much and they actually obtained a little
more.
Advantage has been taken of the dull August
period by the Metropolitan Music Co. and the
Cable Piano Co.'s Minneapolis branch to make
extensive alterations in their quarters. Both
places are now very much topsy-turvy and when
the workmen get through the old stores will
hardly be recognizable even by the owners them-
selves. In spite of the fact that apparent con-
fusion reigns all over the place, Manager W. S.
Collins has arranged for an alteration sale at
the Cable store, just to keep the boys in prac-
tice and on edge for the Fall excitement.
S. W. Raudenbush, head and founder of
Raudenbush & Sons, returned last week from a
visit to Chicago and New York. He was after
the action makers, who are slow in delivering
factory supplies, and got what he went after—
substantial shipments of supplies to his plant.
Mr. Raudenbush declares that every trade sign
points unwaveringly to a period of excellent
trade for the music merchants of the North-
west.
Likewise W. J. Dyer, of W. J. Dyer & Bro.,
sees nothing but rosy skies. Measured by all
formed criteria the Fall of 1920, he says, is most
promising in its outlook. A. L. Brown, depart-
ment manager in the Dyer establishment, has
been in. California for some time and while
there visited the big Fotoplayer plant in Berke-
ley. While he was away his staff sold a $4,000
Fotoplayer to a picture house in St. Paul and
landed several attractive prospects.
Are you reading the series of articles describ-
ing the various woods used in the piano indus-
try? See page 47, this issue.
With the Bowen One-Man Piano Loader and Carrier
,
you will get business that you never will get any other way, and get it at small cost.
Progressive dealers everywhere are making big records with it.
Price, Including Special Waterproof
Cover and Set of Relief Springs for Reinforcing Ford Springs, $110.00
BOWEN PIANO LOADER CO., Winston-Salem, N. C
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
13
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 4, 1920
OurTECHNlCAL DEPARTMENT
CONDUCTED BT WILLIAM BRAID WHITE
THE STANDARDIZING OF THE MINIATURE GRAND PIANO
The Problems of Construction in Connection With the Small Grand Are Problems of Reduction
Rather Than of New Principles—The Relation of the Seven-foot Scale to the Miniature Grand
No matter how much the designer may sigh parcel and which belongs to every horizontal
tor more space in which to work he is not likely piano. On the other hand, however, eyen the
to have his wishes gratified in these days of grow- smallest well-designed grand piano has about it
ing demand for the very smallest possible in something, characteristically free and noble,
horizontal pianos. Over and over again I have both as to touch and as to tone. I say "well-
had the pleasure, not to mention the labor, of designed," for there are grand pianos which, in
carrying readers of this department through the fact, are a shape and nothing else.
deserts which surround the great question, "Is
How near to the tonal quality of a large grand
a very small grand piano a real grand?" Some piano can a small grand approach? That, I
feel, not entirely without reason, that a very take it, is the meat^of the problem for the ordi-
small grand is a "shape" and not a "tone"; that nary average reader of this page. The ques-
there is, in fact, a sort of definite "grand tone" tion may be answered fairly accurately.
which is, and of right ought to be, associated
A Question of Expert Work
with the grand piano, under any and all circum-
So long as the size of such a piano is not
stances. This "grand tone" thus assumed is altogether too small the approach to the stand-
supposed to be unattainable in a piano much less ard of beautiful tone shown by a large grand
than six feet long. Those who hold this opin- may be attained as closely as one chooses to
ion are therefore convinced that there is no lavish on the work scientific skill and care.
such thing as a miniature "grand piano"; but 1 he dividing line must be placed at a point
maintain that the very small horizontal instru- where the higher bass strings and those nearest
ment simply embodies ordinary "upright tone" them on the treble side can neither be short-
in horizontal shape.
ened further nor counter-weighted without in-
troducing disturbing factors which entirely
A Definition of Terms
The whole argument, like so many arguments spoil the attempted corrections. The reader
of the sort, rests upon a misunderstanding of may have his own ideas as to what actual string
terms. It is perfectly true that the tone of a lengths are here permissible. For myself, I am
very fine seven-foot grand piano is vastly dif- satisfied that the twenty-ninth unison, counted
ferent from that of an ordinary upright. It is from the bass, ought to be the last unison on
quite true that in the one case we have a "grand the treble side and ought in no circumstances
tone" entirely different from what we may call to be less than forty inches long. Its right
the "upright tone." But at the same time it length is a little more than forty-three inches.
is true that there are line upright pianos which The nearer it can be brought to this length the
approach very closely, indeed, to this attainment, better for all concerned. In no case should one
while it is quite safe to say that save at the try to design a grand piano where this unison
extremities of the series it is not at all easy to on the treble side is less than forty inches long.
determine, without sight of the instrument,
The experiment has been tried of ending the
whether grand or upright is being heard, at treble strings at unison number 30, and if this is
least when pianos of high excellence are used. done unison number 29 may be placed on the
There exists, without doubt, what may be bass side. In this case, however, it will prob-
called a "seven-foot-grand" tone, easily recog- ably be necessary to wind this string on a No.
nizable as against what may be' called the ordi- 10 wire with No. 34 copper core.
As for the bass string lengths, if the point
nary commercial upright tone. But it does not
follow that there is a general tone quality which mentioned above is attended to it is not neces-
may be wrapped up in a sort of psychological sary to give any figures, for the length of the
piano is already sufficiently determined. Of
course, it will be understood that 1 refer to the
vibrating length of the string; that is to say, the
length from the plate bearing to the first pin on
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Varnish Scratches
the sound-board bridge. From hitch-pin to
tuning pin will be at least ten inches longer.
The reader can determine from the above
statements how far he can go in reducing the
size of his grand piano, but it is obvious that
within these limits an instrument can be pro-
duced quite small enough for any reasonable
requirements.
The Loading Limit
From what has already been said regarding
the seven-foot scale the reader will know how
to lay out the string lengths until he reaches the
point where he must shorten. In this matter
let us consider with some care the fundamental
needs of the case.
From experience and from the results of
many careful tests it is certain that strings less
than forty inches in length cannot be expected
to give satisfactory tonal results if they are
loaded with very heavy wire. Yet, in fact, if the
tension level adopted is above 150 pounds per
wire it is certain that the strings at the break
on the treble side of a miniature grand will need
loading with wire as heavy as No. 21. The
twenty-ninth unison at a length of forty-two
inches can be loaded with No. 21 wire, which will
assure a better tonal result. But to take a string
as short as, say, thirty-eight inches, and load it
as high as twenty-one wire, which in this case
will be necessary, means that the tonal result will
not be so good. 1 do not mean that it will be
hopelessly bad, but that it will be distinctly
inferior, due to the inability of the loaded
string to vibrate with a sufficiently strong funda-
mental. The tuner will find it harder to tune
and the tone regulator will discover at this spot
a bad softish place. If the string must be so
short it will better to put it on the bass side
or else to load it by winding light copper wire
over a light core, as mentioned above.
For such reasons as these the reader will per-
ceive that it will be a great deal better to string
the very small grand on a considerably lighter
scale, from the beginning. If, for instance, the
wire begins at No. 12 gauge-on unison No. 88
and continues down one whole number lighter
than we calculated for the seven-foot scale the
general result will be much more satisfactory.
The general tone will be more mellow and there
will be less trouble in adjusting the tonal re-
quirements at the break. A perfect example
of the truth of this statement is to be found in
the remarkable low-tension grand designed by
Mehlin & Sons and named by them the Viola-
grand.
Bass Loading
Similar reasoning applies to the bass strings.
It is not possible to lay these out within the
low-tension limits mentioned above, but they
can be brought within about fifteen pounds of
these limits. In order to make this possible the
(Continued on page 14)
sent postpaid at $2.60.
Try them.
At the
end of 30 days either pay for them or return
at our expense.
The M. L. Campbell Co.
713 E. 19th St.,
Kansas City, Mo.
Philadelphia. Pa.
FAUST SCHOOL
OF TUNING
Standard of America
Alumni of 2000
Piano Tuning, Pipe and Reed Org*n
and Player Piano. Year Book Free.
27-29 Gainsboro Street
BOSTON, MASS.
In it's 2 0 ^ e a r
with upwards of
A 1OOO
SUCCESSFUL
GRADUATES
ADOR.KS*
COURTHOUSE SQ.
^VALPARAISOINDj
The TUNER'S FRIEND
Old style bridle strep
New style all leather bridle strap
BRAUNSDORF'S ALL LEATHER BRIDLE STRAPS
Labor Saving; Mouse Proof; Guaranteed a l l one length
Send for Samples.
Prices on Request
Felts and Cloths in any Quantities
GEO. W. BRAUNSDORF, Inc.,
Braunsdorf's Other Specialties
Paper,
Felt
and Cloth
Punchings, Fibre Washers
and Bridges for
Pianos, Organs and
Player Actions
Office and Factory:
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IBMXMAIK

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